Friday Night Live In The City, a weekly event being presented by reggae-dancehall legend Junior Reid, returns tomorrow (January 20) with General B, Jigsy King and Alozade. All three men will be performing along with support from emerging artists: Black Lion, Jah Breadz, Fyad Arar, Flexxi and Empress DJ.
Location is One Blood Entertainment Center’s headquarters – 39b East Wood Park Road – in Kingston, and starting time is 8pm.
The city of Miramar will present the 3rd annual Afro Carib Festival on Saturday, February 25th from 5 to 11pm at the Miramar Regional Park Amphitheater – 16801 Miramar Pkwy – in Florida. There will be performances by Koffee, Jacob Forever, J. Perry, Alexander Star and Yung Wylin.
According to the host, Commissioner Alexander P. Davis: “The Afro-Carib Festival brings together musicians, craftsmen, artists, creators, food vendors, and fans in celebration of the power of the Diaspora, who are descendants of native Africans. The Afro-Carib Festival not only honors our collective roots, but also celebrates and shines a spotlight on the beauty of our people and our global cultural impact.”
Double For My Troubles, the brand new lovers-rock single by Richie Stephens and Sanchez, is already trending in reggae communities all over the world. It was written by Stephens, and is a tribute to women who stand by their men through good and bad times. The official video, which preceded the song’s release, has both men singing to an audience of attentive ladies, dressed in all white, hanging on their every word.
Sanchez and Stephens are coming into 2023 strong! Last August Richie Stephens blessed us with his phenomenal album – Reverse the Curse – which has three certified hits: Valley, Reverse the Curse and Born Blessed. As for Sanchez, at the 2022 Grand Gala Independence Anniversary Celebrations in Kingston, he was presented with the Music Icon Award by the Government of Jamaica. He also recently shared Original Song, another record that’s co-produced by Richie Stephens.
Double For My Troubles comes to us courtesy of Pot Of Gold Records and Sanmonik Productions. It can be streamed and/or downloaded on Apple Music, Spotify, iTunes, Tidal and all other digital music platforms. And based on the following statement made by Stephens, we can all anticipate more love songs in the coming months: “For 2023 I have decided to write some love songs for the ladies and so far everyone who have heard ‘Double For My Troubles’ says Sanchez and I are sounding better than ever.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD “DOUBLE FOR MY TROUBLES”
Three years ago, on January 26th, Rastafarian recording artist Jah Bouks opened Angola Restaurant at Old Pera Point in St. Thomas, Jamaica (next to the old sugar estate tower).
In a few weeks from now – on February 5, 2023 – Bouks will be joined by I-Wayne for the three-year anniversary celebration. There will be an open mic segment, lots of prizes and giveaways, as well as music by Nigerian-American selector DJ Demo and Shock Wave Sound.
Dwight Duncan, more popularly known as Bushman, is one of Jamaica’s distinct vocalists who has given us many hits over the years. Hailing from St. Thomas, he rose to prominence in the late 90s with his debut album, Nyah Man Chant (1997), which had several breakout singles.
Love him or hate him, no one can credibly say anything negative about the quality of Bushman‘s music. He is an amazing song writer, a great performer, and above all, he’s consistent. It is for these reasons that Josh Harris of Big Feet Records is always eager to work with him. The two have collaborated on songs in the past, and they’re gearing up to drop another one in a few days.
Having said that, on Friday, January 20th, Big Feet Records will release Love Ya So Bad, a catchy, fresh, groovy, emotional lovers-rock tune – performed by Bushman – that is sure to be a hit. Both camps – Big Feet Records and Bushman‘s team – are confident that this will be on heavy rotation once published; especially as we head into the season of love (Valentine’s Day).
Roots reggae singer-songwriter Micah Shemaiah ended 2022 with the release of Run Things, a timely track with a powerful message about life and the way we live it. The song will be featured on his upcoming album, Jamaica Jamaica.
The official video for Run Things was also shared. If you have not yet seen it, click here or on the image above to check it out, and remember to like, comment and share.
Rad Dixon – formerly known as Rated R (aka Rated Righteous) – made a powerful entrance into 2023 with his brand new ten-track studio album, Hard Times. Powered by the Jamaican imprint Tasjay Productions, Hard Times is a flawless, solid, roots record, that touches on varying topics: social issues, relationships, spirituality and creativity.
The title track, which features reggae legend Luciano, has two mixes: a soul, and a reggae version. The reggae track was created by Osborne ‘Ifield’ Joseph of Rock Stone Records (Toronto, Ontario); and mixed and mastered by Clevie of the famed duo Steely & Clevie. As for the soul version, it was done by Delroy ‘Phatta’ Pottinger at Anchor Studio in Kingston, Jamaica. Both have been doing well in their respective fields, resulting in the release of an official video.
The visuals were directed, shot and edited by Nordia Rose in Jamaica, and was shared on Tasjay Productions‘ YouTube channel a few days ago (January 6th). The only other collaboration on the LP is a beautiful lovers-rock tune called Right Portion, done with Portmore singer Talee.
The preceding tracks aside, Dixon comfortably carried the rest of the tunes on his own (True Love, Mama’s Love, On and On, Reggae Vibes, Jah Never Sleep, Break My Heart and Tuff Life). Armed with the writing skills of James Smith, Fitz Livermore and Luciano, and supported by the talented musicians at Tasjay Productions, Rad Dixon delivered masterful performances on all the songs.
Hard Times went live on all streaming platforms on New Year’s Day.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD “HARD TIMES”
